As we have now entered into the Lenten Season, we see that the emphasis on a weekly basis has been to go deeper in our faith and relationship with Christ. We are compelled to love God’s family, reach out together, fellowship together, grow together, serve together, worship together, and I would add that through it all we are reaching for Christ together. This is not all that different than what the early followers of Christ sought to do.

A great crowd followed Jesus as He headed for the home of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue who had a very sick daughter. Yet suddenly the excitement was interrupted by a woman who had a blood disease and had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. When she reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, He stopped everything and asked, “Who touched Me?” (Mark 5:31 RSV)

At first this story about the woman seems out of place. The urgent matter of healing Jairus’ little girl has to be put aside in order for us to consider this ordinary woman with a chronic illness. Yet the Gospel writer Mark is more interested in the crowd than he is in the big event at Jairus’ home. He puts a magnifying glass up to the crowd to focus our attention on just one woman who would be so easy to overlook.

Perhaps Mark does this because he believes we are all hemorrhaging, so to speak. Maybe you also have a physical problem that will not go away. Or maybe you’re bleeding internally from a broken heart or a broken dream. You’ve tried everything, but nothing can make the pain go away. So, you join the group at church, hoping to get a glimpse of the Savior through a song, or the Word, or through prayer. You’re sure He has more important business to deal with than you. Yet if you just humbly reach out to Jesus, He will stop the whole parade. He’ll eventually make it to the home of the rulers, but today Jesus is looking for you. That’s because your broken life has touched Him.